The Beast
by Blueblade11
Summary: After a great number of years since its creation, a dark fabrication escapes its prison from the depths...
1. Beneath the Deeps

Beneath the Deeps

**A/N: So, hello. This is the first story I've ever shared with the world, so it might be a little iffy in places. This is the prelude to a story I am currently trying to find inspiration to write. But rest assured, its coming!**

It was a warm night. The moon shone overhead, lighting up the dark waters of the lake below. Above the water, it was a picture of calm, with crickets chirping away, and the bushes around swaying slightly in the breeze.

But below the water, it was a different picture altogether. Smaller fish swam agitatedly near the surface, their movements barely perceptible above the surface. Lower down, bigger fish ran from an unknown force. There was panic in their gills, and through the water they sent out intense pheromones of a single emotion, common to all thinking creatures; fear. Whatever they were running from was a monstrosity, a thing to be feared. But no one knew, or saw the signs on the first night.

At the bottom of the lake, something stirred beneath the sparse years of growth, constricting and binding the being to the bottom of the lake, struggling against its fabricated bonds of steel. It was a bestial creature, never meant to be, and yet here it stayed, beneath the water. A heretical fabrication, its mind was something of a ubiquity among even the darkest of creatures made by man. For its very existence was in violation of the basis of Darwinism, breaking the highest laws that Darwin himself had set down a mere 50 years before. This creature contained human life threads, along with the life threads of many nightmare creatures; even fabricated ones, such as the British krakens and the Japanese Kappa. Yet it also held in its genetic code the life threads of ordinary creatures, the majority of them originating on the Australian continent. All these threads combined could never result in anything good, or sane, or even controllable. But even as it broke the rules of fabrication, it was a thing to be admired, as a marvel of science, the entwining of hundreds of species. For it held a claim no other previous abomination being could attest to.

Try as they might, many mad scientists had failed in their attempts to fabricate an inhuman creature with the intelligence of a human. Even as it had been outlawed, it had already been nigh impossible to fabricate such a creature. Many pieces of high-tech fabrication equipment was careful supervised, and anything lesser was unreliable in the process of creating creatures with the life threads of a human.

However, one day, one man had figured out the secrets of human fabrication, and using his own life threads made the only creature in existence with a human mind. One that lay at the bottom of a lake's floor, struggling to free itself. This creature had named itself in its isolation, after that same scientist realised the implications of what he had created.

And so he had bound the creature against its will, binding it to the bottom of a lake, where hopefully no one would ever look. But the creature had been fabricated with an exceedingly long lifespan, outlasting the scientists, and so now, no one knew of the creature. Alone, forgotten, its miserable existence punctuated by the occasional fish, it began to plot its revenge.

But first it needed to escape. And so, under the light of the full moon, it had absorbed the little bits of light that permeated the depths of the water. Gaining strength, it had broken away from its chains, finally free to move. Of course, it was intelligent. It would not do to attract undue attention.

And so it waited, under the surface, waiting for an opportunity to arise. It had infinite patience, the cunning of a villain, and intelligence beyond mere fabrications. It had emotion, feelings, moods. It could think, feel, reason. It had philosophised, reflected, and dreamt of a different time. It could remember, forget.

After all, it had the mind of a human.

**So, thanks for bearing with my (what I think is crappy) writings, and thanks for reading all this way! Please tell me what you think!**


	2. Cold Morning

Cold Morning

**A/N: So I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this yet... But here's the next chapter!**

**And thanks for the reviews from Tacitus labs and SingularStevie! They really made my day!**

**Tacitus labs: Don't worry, I intend to finish this to the end. :)**

**SingularStevie: I hope I live up to your expectations with this chapter. :)**

**Enjoy!**

.:.

It was a cold morning. Snow fell in layers outside, oblivious to the wishes of the many people whose walkways it began to pile up on. As the fluffy flakes fell, they chilled the air around them, tracing intricate patterns upon windows. At a lake far from the nearest township, these flakes formed a layer of ice on the surface of the water, chilling the air in the surrounding area. The beast was annoyed, its escape plan delayed by this unexpected snowfall. As the ice began to spread, the water below was strangely warm, a steady stream of bubbles coming up from an unknown source of heat.

If one was to look closer, they might notice a light at the bottom of the lake, appearing to flicker in and out of the seaweed that covered the floor of the lake.

If one was to look closer still, they might catch a glimpse of the source of the fire, a steady stream of phosphorus and fire coming out of a strange, tentacle-like structure.

If one was to look closer _still, _they would notice that the fire_ did in fact _come out of the tentacle.

But by then it would be too late.

.:.

Alek stirred as the sun hit his face, the first rays of dawn creeping in through the slitted curtains of his room. He glimpsed at the falling flakes outside, before groaning and turning over, away from the sunlight, at a futile attempt to catch more hours of sleep. Just as he was getting comfortable again, Deryn burst into the room shouting some incomprehensible words, shocking him into a state of alertness, while Bovril stared at her with a bemused expression, perched upon his bedside table.

"ALEK! GET UP! I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!" He murmured his objections from beneath his pillow, pulling the blankets up high over his head. Deryn shrugged, walked up to him, and in one deft move, pulled the blankets onto the ground, exposing his body, only covered in thin pyjamas, to the freezing air circulating inside the room.

"Go away." he mumbled, curling up into a ball in an attempt to retain the heat of his body.

"Blisters Alek, we have to go soon!" Deryn said, exasperation apparent in her tone.

"Go where?" he asked still in a futile attempt to catch more sleep.

"That's what I'm here to tell you ninny!_" _Sighing, she rolled him towards the edge of the bed and pushed him off, his body crashing onto the floor with a loud thud.

Alek got up off the floor, rubbing his head, and looked at Deryn reproachfully. His back ached from when it had made contact with the floor, and his head was spinning from the rush of blood to his head. He grunted in pain as Deryn yanked him off the floor, taking a few steps towards the wall fighting to keep his balance. At least now he was vaguely aware of his surroundings.

"You didn't have to do that you know." Deryn grinned.

"All in good fun!" she replied, too enthusiastically for Ale's liking.

"Fun." echoed Bovril, before giggling to itself. "Bum-rag."

"What are you trying to say, beastie?" asked Deryn, peering closely at the loris. Bovril continued to giggle in reply. Deryn rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't say crashing off the bed, after a nice long sleep mind you, is _fun_, Deryn." said Alek, still aching from the impact with the ground.

She ignored him, her eyes drawn upwards to another point of interest. She started to shudder, small noises escaping her as she struggled to contain her laughter. She was making some very girly noises right now, Alek thought, as he followed her gaze upwards. He sighed.

"Very funny. Of course my hair is going to be perfect from the moment I wake up." he said sarcastically. At this point Deryn looked like she was choking, hacking and coughing hard into her hand. Alek continued on, saying "Yes, my hair must be the _funniest_ thing in the world right now, to warrant such a reaction, _Mr _Sharp." Deryn struggled to keep a straight face, before bursting out doubled over in laughter, coming out in short sharp bursts of sound.

"Your hair…" she managed, before bursting out into another bout of laughing fits. Alek glared at her, silently willing her to stop, before realising he was having absolutely no effect on her irregular bouts of laughter. Resignedly, he got up and walked over to his wardrobe to get dressed. He turned back to look at her,

"Do you mind?" asked Alek, meaningfully glancing at the door.

"Of course, your _princeliness_. _One must keep at an appropriate distance at all times_." she said, mimicking the formal tones of Count Volger. She paused, a thought passing across her face. "Then again, it's not like I haven't seen anything like that before." Deryn again struggled to keep a straight face, while Alek tried to figure out the meaning behind her words. As always, he gave up, the mystery unsolved, and pointed at the door.

"Door." he said adamantly, unamused by her stubbornness.

"Bum-rag." she replied. Deryn started to walk to the door, when Bovril spoke.

"Lake Kraken." Alek looked quizzically at the creature, waiting for a further explanation, of which none was forth coming. From Bovril at least. He then turned to Deryn, waiting for an explanation. Deryn stopped at the doorway, thought for a moment, then spun around to face Alek.

"Wait! Now I remember why I got you out of bed!" she uttered triumphantly. Alek only stared wearily at her. He _was_ still tired, after all.

"We're going out to the lake today to collect some specimens for Dr. Barlow." At this Alek groaned, while Deryn tossed him an incredulous look. "It's a fair bit away, and it's snowing outside, and its cold, so I suppose you better get dressed in warm clothes." She glanced at the pair of pants he was holding in his left hand, unsuited to the cold weather outside. "Unless you want to freeze your bum off."

"Sure I do." Alek replied sarcastically. Deryn grinned, while Bovril let out another one of its mad giggles.

"Well then, see you at breakfast. We're leaving after, so you better be ready before then."

"Yes, _liebe_. I wouldn't miss it for the world." There was a subtle hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Now would you please _go away_?" She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"What is it now?" The annoyance in his tone was unmistakable.

"Good morning." Pulling him in close, she kissed him. He responded in kind, somewhat surprised. But he didn't complain.

After a few seconds they pulled apart, a small smile now on both of their faces.

"Morning then." he replied, turning back to his wardrobe. As Deryn walked out, he muttered under his breath.

"_Still a bum-rag._" she heard faintly.

"_I heard that!_" Deryn's voice yelled from the hallway. He smiled wistfully, wishing there could be more than these brief morning kisses.

_Today is going to a fun day_, he thought. Even if it was freezing cold.

.:.

As Alek shrugged himself into his heavy winter coat, he thought about the cold weather outside. He thought about how they were going on yet _another_ specimen collecting expedition. And how today, he was going to have to go outside in the cold, with only his thick coat to keep him warm, while the snow piled up on the ground around him.

As he dressed, he started to daydream of the nice warmth of the lab, tainted with the smells of a thousand species, along with the faint reek of clart. But at least it was _warm_. All he had to look forward to outdoors was a long day of collecting a few barking samples of fish. And maybe a few crabs or frogs, if they were lucky. _Blisters_, he thought, they were even planning on collecting the _seaweed _in the area! _It's probably below zero outside_ he thought, as he noted how the hot condensation of his breath materialised in front of him, reacting with the cold air in his room. Why _today_, of all days? Couldn't they have waited until they had some warmer weather?

He tried to think of excuses to get out of going out to the lake. But then he sighed, knowing that Deryn would be going, dragging him along screaming if she had to. He knew this from previous experience. And then there was Dr. Barlow, who was coming along of course to oversee events. _Of course_, he thought _between those two there's no getting out of it._

Resigned to his fate, he pulled his hood over his head, stomping out of the room and down the hallway, following the smell of bacon and eggs in the air. At least breakfast smelled good.


	3. Breakfast and Journeys

Breakfast and Journeys

**A/N: So, this chapter is a bit lengthy, so sorry about that. **

**Thanks to all the people that reviewed, including black polish and thick liner and Middy Miles! Thanks!**

**black polish and thick liner: You're welcome! Im glad that your enjoy the story so far, short as it is.  
And I will!**

**Middy Miles: Thanks for the tips and words of encouragement! I tried to improve all the descriptions and like in this chapter, but this chapter was already mostly written before I read your review, so I fear it might be a bit lacking. But thanks!**

**SingularStevie: To tell the truth, I was a bit reluctant to put in the _gutnen morgen_ kiss into the beggning. I thought it would be more in character to have Deryn just walk off. But now I'm glad I went through with my descision, and your adoration of Alek and Deryn!**

**And to everyone: Thank you! I never thought that I was a decent writer, but all of your kind and encouraging words have inspired me to continue writing. I hope I continue to fufil, or even exceed, everyone's expectations!**

**And without further ado, enjoy! :)**

.:.

The beast stared at the thick ice above, wondering if it could break through in its current state. Looking at its discoloured tentacle, it decided that it didn't want to risk losing any of its dark, hardened limbs. _Again._ It had been painful enough trying to regrow one last time, and even then it was only a dim shadow of its predecessor. It shuddered to think of the pain it had gone through trying to regrow a _barking tentacle._ Giving up on the thought, it moved another one of its lumpy tentacles towards it misshapen lump of a face, seeing it easily in the darkness of the water. It concentrated for a moment, and as it watched its tentacle it began to transform into a vaguely cone-like shape, lined with one continuous spiral around the object. At a smaller scale, the surface of its limb could be seen to be coated with a thin sheen of metal, materialised from the insides of its internal organs, pumping a constant stream of material to the utilitarian limb. Mentally smiling, it worked another one of its tentacles to find a weak spot in the layers of ice, moving to a thinner patch of the reflective material, before beginning to drill.

.:.

"You might like to know that in 1899, some mad boffin ran out of space at their fabrication laboratory." Dr. Barlow said.

The three of them, Dr. Barlow, Alek and Deryn were seated at the dining table, which was made out of a fragrant, sturdy piece of fabricated wood, set with dark lines and curve arranged in a seemingly random pattern. Deryn was busy wolfing down her breakfast, unable to say anything. Hurriedly swallowing her food to reply, she saw Alek draw a breath and relaxed, swallowing the current load of food in her mouth before continuing to devour the large pile of bacon and eggs glistening tantalisingly in front of her.

"What does this have to do with the lake?" Alek asked.

"Oh, he decided it would be a good idea to see if a kraken could survive in a lake." She paused in thought for a moment, deciding whether she should mention the results. Inwardly, she shrugged. It would make no difference. "As it turns out, they could."

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"The government found out, and fearing the worst sealed off the area. As it was, the beast was harmless, but they were scared of these unknown things beyond their control. For example, the placement of a kraken inside a lake."

"So then what happened to the kraken?"

"It was studied, then killed." she said darkly. A choking sound could be heard coming from Deryn. Dr. Barlow shot her a questioning glance, before motioning with her hands towards Deryn. "If you would, Mr. Hohenburg?" He slapped Deryn hard on the back, and a piece of bacon that was lodged in her throat flew out onto her plate. It was draped in stringy trails of saliva, and as they watched a puddle began to form, seeping from the offending object. Frowning, she turned back to her food and began to consume it as before; albeit with a little less enthusiasm than before.

"Just…killed?" asked Alek, picking up from where they had left the conversation. It bothered him that someone would kill a beastie, especially a kraken, for no apparent reason.

"Yes, and rather foolishly too, in hindsight." The boffin paused for a moment, watching as Deryn struggled to cram a particularly large piece of greasy bacon into her mouth. She finally fit it in, and as she chewed she noticed the stares of her two companions.

"Whash?" she asked. "Itsh on'y 'ba'on." The words came out as a garble as she chewed on a potato, with gleaming bits and pieces of the mushed up spuds flying from her mouth. Alek moved unobtrusively away from Deryn, pieces of the half-chewed food sticking out from his tangled, uncombed hair.

Dr. Barlow started to talk again, annoyed at the constant interruptions to the conversation. "They didn't know what to do with the remains, and so some thick-headed baboon had the bright idea to scatter the pieces to the winds, which in course meant the lake, leading to some rather …_undesirable_ changes in the local biology."

"So that's why we're going there? To study _mutants?_" asked Deryn incredulously. She had finally finished her breakfast, and reached over the table towards Alek's plate. Alek noticed the action and pulled his plate away from her, while she stuck her tongue out back at him.

"Not mutants, Mr. Sharp, but _variations _in the species." said Dr. Barlow, placing extra stress as she said _variations_. "And it would be preferable if you could refrain from such childish behaviour." At this the two friends looked guiltily at each other, heads slumped downwards. She sighed, and continued on talking as if nothing had happened.

"That is why we are going there today of course; to study these strange _variations_ in species caused by differing environmental conditions."

"Mmmph mmmph!" Deryn was struggling to breathe, having attempted to swallow a substantial amount of food (from Alek's plate) in one mouthful. Alek frowned, wondering where she had gotten the bacon from, before slapping her rather hard in the back, as Dr. Barlow looked on unamused. Deryn coughed and hacked over the table as parts of gristle and bacon were spat up from her mouth and flew over the table. Dr. Barlow looked disdainfully at the mess, pursuing her lips up in contempt as she surveyed the mess.

"I do hope that you learn not to choke in the future, Mr. Sharp. I am already short staffed as it is, and I don't think Mr. Hohenburg here would do a very good job at being my only personal assistant." To this Deryn glared at her, while Dr. Barlow gracefully ate her breakfast, almost as if she was trying to provoke her.

Deryn shovelling the rest of her food from her plate into her mouth, stormed off to the kitchens to dump her plate, muttering under her breath.

"_Barking lady boffins, always trying_ _to_ _make you feel bad._" muttered Deryn, her voice echoing in from the hallway. Dr. Barlow continued to eat with impunity, ignoring her comments while Alek shifted awkwardly from side to side, before promptly getting up and following Deryn. Dr. Barlow noted that although Deryn's plate had been wiped clean, his plate was still half full. She sighed. At least now she could dig into her food now, with no one around to judge her.

She was hungry, after all.

.:.

They were travelling slowly, the monotonous landscape passing along outside the window. The same featureless fields moved on past, one giving way to another, with little to distinguish one field from the next. It reminded Deryn of the boring monotony that had become her life after she had joined the Society. _Indeed_, she thought, _nothing much really happens._

When Deryn had first joined the Zoological Society, she had expected a lifestyle a bit more… exciting. She had imagined epic chases through the jungles of Africa; or maybe fleeing from the secretive dragons of Asia; possibly even travelling through the world of machines and decay that was the falling remains of the various Clanker powers. At its worst, she thought she would be at least doing something with the many military fabrications, looking at their various functions and the science behind them.

Instead however, she found her days working for Dr. Barlow were spent in an endlessly repetitive cycle, combining and separating the life threads of various species to create new fabrications. This usually involved setting out test tubes after carefully reading the label whilst referring to the handwritten notes that Dr. Barlow frequently handed to her. 'Expeditions' away from the lab always resulted in the collection of more life threads.

The most exciting thing she had encountered was the American Combustible Lemon, which had been fabricated by Cave Johnson, a burly tall businessman who looked anything but. As they had watched some of the prototypes being tested, Dr. Barlow had commented that she had been "blown away." Deryn smiled grimly as she remembered wondering if she was intentionally trying to make a joke. To this day she still wondered if she had.

As she was deep in thought, Deryn was unconsciously drawing the passing farmland outside monotonous as it was. In fact, the self-similarity of the landscape made her job easier, as it passed by in a blur, their horses pulling them at a quite fast pace. At this time of year, the fields were covered in ice and snow, the conditions too harsh to grow anything on the frozen landscape.

Her hand smoothly traced the blurred outlines of the fields outside, sketching a white sea of colours upon her page, with patches of grass sticking out at odd angles. She looked from her sketch to the land outside, comparing it to see if she had effectively captured the essence of the world outside. Scowling at the results, she flipped over the page and began to draw a scene from memory.

.:.

After a time she noticed Alek poking her shoulder, and looked up to glare at him balefully. But with his other hand he was pointing outside the window, and through the glass she could see the wide expanse of a lake covered in ice. She saw the lake stretch into the distance, and estimated the width to be a few kilometres in diameter. Slightly disoriented for a moment, she looked back at Alek and asked him a question.

"What's this lake called again?" she asked in an inquisitive tone. Alek turned to look back at her for a moment, before turning his gaze back upon the lake.

"Lake Kraken." replied Dr. Barlow. "Surely you haven't forgotten in the time it has taken us to get here from my lab, do you?"

"Course not!" she replied indignantly. "I was only refreshing my memory, that's all!" She pulled her coat high up on her shoulders as Dr. Barlow opened the door. A rush of cold air came whistling in, instantly replacing the comforting warmth of the cabin. She waited for Dr. Barlow to step out onto the road, before directing a glare at her retreating backside. She glanced at Alek to see what he was doing, and before he could stop his grin she punched him in the shoulder, hard.

"Oww! What was that for!?" he exclaimed, rubbing his hand on the area where she had punched him. She smiled.

"For smiling." she replied. "Also for not answering my question."

"What, the one that Dr. Barlow answered for me?"

"No Alek, the one you're asking right now."

"Really?"

"No, you _dummkopf!_ Barking spiders, will you ever learn?" Alek only stared at her inquisitively in reply. "I guess not." she said, the exasperation apparent on her face.

"Well, are you getting down then?" asked Alek.

"Ladies first." she replied. He glared at her, before stepping out of the carriage.

"Suit yourself." Alek gingerly tested the ice, but it held firm against his efforts. Satisfied at the sturdiness of the ice, he walked out onto it, before promptly slipping on his heels and falling. He groaned. "Not again…"

.:.

Bovril stuck its head out from Alek's coat, looking around to ascertain its current surroundings. It grumbled softly, its nap ruined, and crawling out from the coat it stood up on the ice before turning back to identify which person had been carrying him, which was a lying down Alek face down on the ice. The beastie then looked back towards the stationary shape on the skyline, hearing Deryn laughing madly from the cabin. It looked back to Alek, with a small look of sympathy, and positioned itself in front of Alek's face before talking.

"Barking mad, these people." Alek's face frowned at the phrase, trying to interpret whether Bovril was referring to him or Deryn. He decided it was both, and swatted at the fabrication to move away. Bovril interpreted his mood and ran off towards Deryn, into the relative heat of the carriage, all but gone.

Attempting to stand up, Alek's boot gave way from under him, and he fell down once more onto the ice from his half-crouched position. _I can't believe I gave up a throne for this,_ he thought, gingerly rubbing his backside. He heard footsteps crunching up the ice behind him, and before he turned knew who was walking up to him. _Now I remember why, _and before he knew it he was being pulled up to a standing position, then turned around to face his benefactor.

"Next time, you might want to put on these." said Deryn. holding up a pair of strange chains.

"What are _those?_" he asked, not seeing any significance in the objects. A thought struck him, and he looked down at Deryn's shoes. "Oh."

"Come on, we don't have time to mess around Alek." she said impatiently, tapping her foot as she did so.

"Do I have to?" he asked, visualising the aesthetics of his shoes with those chains on.

"Yes you ninny, unless you want to fall down again." she replied, and before he knew what was happening he crashed onto the ground _again_ with a resounding thud. Before he could protest, Deryn had expertly wrapped the chains around his shoes and has latched the ends together with a click. She then hauled him to his feet again, and Alek felt the need to review the result, not entirely pleased with what he saw.

"They look ugly." he said turning his foot to see the underside of the shoes.

"Don't do that!" she exclaimed, and she cringed…

…As the ice broke around Alek and he fell in, screaming.

.:.

As Deryn watched, she sprang to her feet, ready to help Alek. But then she cursed as she slipped on the very ice that had been the cause of much laughter for her, as she had watched Alek slip several times on the ice. But this time was humourless, and as she scrambled to her feet she saw a dark shaped rising out of the water to envelop Alek.

"ALEK! LOOK OUT!" she screamed, hoping he was able to hear her above his flailing in the water. As she watched in horror, she saw a tentacle break the surface of the water. On its end was a single eye, and as she watched the pupil darted around, scouting out its surroundings. She redoubled her efforts to get up to help Alek, and sliding on all fours on the ice she made her way over to him, reaching out to grab his arms.

"ALEK!" she shouted, trying to get his attention.

"DERYN!" He had noticed her at last, and as she crept closer he could see a tentacle wrapping around his waist. Still out of reach of Alek, she was powerless to do anything, and could only watch in horror as it lifted him high into the water, into the air above the lake.

Then it turned its eye to Deryn.


	4. Memories, Part 1

Memories, Part One

**A/N: Hey, double update! Woohoo! Enjoy! :)**

.:.

_It was a different time. The thing stared out from its test tube in the scientists lab, watching as the figure outside was saying something. It frowned as its creator waved its arms around in some obscure rhythm, trying to understand what he was saying. _

_But it could not understand, and so after a time the scientist gave up on trying to speak to it. It had his own life threads, and yet it would not listen to him. He spat in disgust, and picking up the test tube, made to throw it against the wall. _

_But something stopped him. Perhaps it was the single eye that stared at him, waiting for his next move. Perhaps it was the fact that this _thing_ was his child, in both name and intellect. Perhaps it was the fact it looked so vulnerable, trapped inside the test tube, unable to move._

_Perhaps it was any one of these things. But in truth it was none of these things, but something else, a word, something that he heard in the silence of the room. A word not uttered from his own mouth._

"_Beast."_

.:.

_It was suspended in a viscous liquid, contained within a darkened tank, its eyes darting furtively around the small room. The glass was tinted dark, allowing only the beast's eyes to see into the outside world, whilst outside only a dark shape could be discerned from the depths of the tank. Its eyes moved towards the door as it opened, and a short, stout figure hobbled in, their bony back hunched over, exposing the skeletal frame of the body that comes with old age._

"_Hello, father." The beast spoke, its words echoing resoundingly through the water. The sound was muffled by the curvature of the tank, and by the time the words reached the ears of the scientist its voice was a soft whisper, carrying the sounds of a thousand species, twisting and combining their endless cries into a single voice._

"_Hello, Beast." An appropriate name, the scientist thought, as he moved around his lab, adjusting dials and levers to regulate the tank. He felt no compassion for the thing, even if it was his _child. _It was the creation of a fool – and he was the very one that had created it. He shuddered inwardly, looking at the discoloured yellow arms that pressed against the side of the tank, oozing with a gooey yellow substance. The beast was the size of a small child, its small head shrunken and disproportionate to its large, animalistic body. And yet it talked with the wisdom of a thousand years, its mind an insatiable creature, devouring knowledge as readily as its food. It was inhuman, a symbol of heresy, and yet it filled him with horrid fascination, among a deep sense of pride. The thing had grown slowly over the years, maturing into a beast like no other. He was equal parts terrified and resolute in what he was to do that day. Over the years, his various attempts to kill the thing many and varied, and yet they had all ultimately failed, because of one reason alone; it was his creation. _

_How could a creator wrought destruction on his own creation?_

_Today was a day that would decide the beasts fate. He sensed his time drawing near, his journey into the other world stalking him as a hunter stalks his prey. Yet he could not leave the thing to the world, its secret existence closely guarded by the lives of his dead men. He feared what they would do to it if _they_ ever found it; he imagined them tearing it apart limb from limb, as it shrieked in both pain and agony, its cries inhuman and yet the call of a dying life. No. He could not risk his creation suffering a terrible fate with his passing, and so he had to do something about it._

"_We're going somewhere today." he said._

"_To where, Father?" asked the beast._

"_A lake." the scientist said. "A very, very big lake."_

.:.

_The minutes before…_

The beast made slow progress as it drilled through the thick layer of ice. It had been drilling for a while now, and it estimated it had been drilling for a few days at this point. It had an acute sense of time, with an internal clock more accurate than the experimental quartz timepieces favoured by the Clankers.

Stopping to rest for a moment, it tested the thickness of the ice with a spare tentacle, and was surprised when cracks began to appear. Now focused on this new development, it began to drill into the weak point, sensing its time was near. It could see dark shapes moving above the layer of ice, and voices talking up above.

_Voices,_ it thought. It had not had a voice for years, discarding it and transforming its vocal chords into more _useful_ organs. It debated for a moment, wondering whether it should bother with the effort. But freedom was close, through a last few centimetres of translucent ice. Grimly, it began to drill, trading risk for speed, and its rapidly approaching freedom.

Finally, it felt the ice give way, and as the cracks spread through the surrounding ice it prepared itself for its escape. Forming an eye on the end of its blotched tentacle, it began to move the greater part of its mottled body towards the surface, towards the light.

Towards freedom.


	5. Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight

**Well, sorry for taking so long with this chapter. A whole month! (I may or may not have *forgotten* about this. *ahem*.) Anyhow…**

**Fun fact: This whole story began with me writing about Alek and Deryn and the line 'It was a warm night.' Heh. And then it somehow became this growing monstrosity of a story. (go away pun police.)**

**Oh yeah. I realised I didn't have a disclaimer anywhere, so for good measure:**

**None of the main characters of this story are my intellectual property, and neither do I own anything pertaining to or including the Leviathan trilogy.**

**Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the story!**

.:.

Sunlight.

The beast raised a tube-like limb above the surface, inhaling the frigid air above. It sensed, rather than smelled, the smell of adrenaline present in the air, its source coming from the struggling figure below. It was surprised to discover it could still discern the symptoms of the ancient instincts ingrained into human life threads, even after the many years it was locked away in its underwater cave.

It turned as it sensed a new source of life. It found itself staring down at a female figure. She was shouting something, but beneath the water only the muffled sounds of their cries could be heard. It thought over the possible reasons behind their din of noise, and reached the only logical conclusion – the struggling figure that was now flailing in the freezing waters of the lakes. Reaching out carefully, it wrapped one of its disfigured tentacles around the struggling figure, transfiguring the tip into the shape of the end of one of the human's limbs, and without hesitation lifted it clear of the water.

Its whole body shuddered in distaste as it wrapped its slimy tentacles around the figure, lifting it towards the frigid sun. It was annoyed that there were _humans_ around at its emergence, and both irritated and aggrieved at the species which had wrought it so much grief. Paddling closer to the surface, it tensed its considerable body in apprehension, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself, to show the rest of the iceberg.

It sensed a change in the air; the faint scent of an ancient instinct, one that it recognised as a signal of basic human psychology, fight or flight. It reared another tentacle out of the water, readying itself for retaliation.

Needless to say, it was angry.

.:.

It rose from the water in all its glory, with thick chunks of melting ice falling back down to bob in the water. From her distance, Deryn could clearly make out that the creature was a kraken – of a sort. But it also seemed to be something more. As the tentacle holding Alek swung around the expanse of ice, she could hear the sound of someone emptying their breakfast, and the consequential trail of chunky, oozing bits of breakfast strewn across the ice like…vomit. Needless to say, Deryn wasn't feeling hungry.

Daring to look closer at the beast, all she could see was a massive pulp of flesh and scales, tinged a shade of purple akin to the discolouration of a particularly nasty bruise. Extending out from this main lump was a complex mass of waving tentacles, covered in an array of feather-like scales and sucker cups. The tip of each tentacle tapered into a wide variety of unusual looking shapes; blow torches, drills and shovels, to name a few. The one that was currently emptying Alek's stomach was shaped like a hand – that is, if five smaller tentacles attached to a bigger one can be classified as a hand. At the strange sight of the tentacles, Deryn heard Dr. Barlow express a small gasp of surprise. As for herself, her mouth wouldn't shut.

"WHAT DO WE DO?!" exclaimed Deryn, containing the barely perceptible panic and anger in her voice.

"There are two logical conclusions one can reach in regards to our current situation." replied Dr. Barlow. "Fight, or Flight."

A thoughtful descended onto Deryn's face as her brow furrowed in thought. Dr. Barlow sighed, as she saw that Alek's face was now an unnatural shade of purple.

"Whatever you are thinking of Mr Sharp, it better be quick." she said. She turned at the squeak of boots on ice, and her mouth slowly frowned when she saw Deryn skating erratically back to the carriage.

"_No need to rush._" she muttered under her breath. Turning back to face the tentacle, she stepped back a few paces, before the spot where she had been standing broke away into the lake.

"_Barking lorises."_ she muttered. She was not one to usually show emotion, or curse. But today seemed like a good day for an exception. After all, what was one to do when they saw a giant, _unidentified_ (and potentially dangerous) creature emerge from the depths of a lake?

_Identify it, _she thought sardonically. _It has tentacle, so that points towards a sea creature of some kind. It's large, so it must be a fabrication. It has feathered scales, which is unusual, so it's probably…part bird?_

_But what is with that tentacle?_ _In fact, what's wrong with _all _of its tentacles? _

Her eyes darted around, her pupils dilating as they analysed the enormity of the creature. They narrowed as she saw an eye appear seemingly out of nowhere, before being absorbed back into the irregular surface of the tentacle. She took another step back as a flailing tentacle missed by inches, searching for other forms of life around the lake.

_Did it create that eye? And did it disappear?_


	6. Of Lemons and Limes

**Of Lemons and** **Limes**

** Hey hey, next chapter amigos. I've always wanted to say that. Type that. Whatever.**

** To those that are thinking *that*: The chapter title has no implied or otherwise references or innuendoes whatsoever. For those who are thinking that. What are you thinking!? THE LAST CHAPTER ENDED IN A CLIFFHANGER (Of sorts.) *ahem*. *clears throat*. Anyway…**

** So lemons? limes? What? Yes yes, just read on and find out, etc. etc. **

** Sorry for the **_**looooooooooong**_** update, busy with life and school and exams and whatnot. Hope this is worth the wait! _**

** Who am I kidding, this isn't the best that I can muster. But I just want to progress the story, and eventually finish it. So please bear with me. :)**

** And so, thanks for reading up to this point! Enjoy!**

.:.

"Come on, it has to be in here! The boffin said so!" Deryn was talking to Bovril in a panicked frenzy, desperately searching for the irregular shape of the harpoon gun among the jumbled mess of equipment, paper and samples that strewn around inside the velvets trunk of the carriage. Bovril watched silently as she tossed various objects out of the trunk – test tubes, logbooks, bowler hats – before Deryn's hands emerged with a pair of citrus shaped fruit. One was a vivid lime colour, while the other was a lemony yellow.

"Fruit?" asked Bovril. Deryn looked at it. She wondered how much the loris understood the world around it. Enough to know that she was holding what _appeared_ to be fruit, at least. Grinning, she shoved the objects into her pockets and started running back towards Alek and that _damned beastie._

.:.

Dr. Barlow backed away from the flailing creature, and walking away briskly reached the top of the hill overlooking the frosty surface of the lake. It was a beautiful view…or at least it would be, if it wasn't for the giant mass of purple tentacles that were groping Alek and the air around him wildly.

She sighed, and reaching under her corset pulled out a tranquiliser squid in a most unladylike manner. Aiming carefully, she fired a dart at the bulbous tentacle that was threatening to sever Alek into two.

An agonizing scream burst outwards from the depths of the lake, causing a supersonic wind that swept up the debris off the ground. Ducking down, Dr. Barlow held on to her bowlers hat, waiting for the wave to pass, before straightening back up and adjusting her slightly skewed cap. She then turned around as if she was waiting for something, and a few moments later Deryn came running up from the other side of the hill. Her hair was rustled and had small leaves sticking out of various parts of her head.

"Fall over?" Dr. Barlow asked.

"Never mind that; what the barking hell was _that_?" Deryn retorted.

"This", Barlow said, holding up the tranquiliser squid, "hitting that."

"Barking spiders! Are you sure that was a good idea!?"

"There are no good or bad ideas, Deryn; only ideas." she replied enigmatically.

"Hmmph. Well, time to finish this damned beastie off." Deryn said. She started walking towards the beast, and pulling out a small object from her belt started drawing her arm back.

As Dr. Barlow recognised the object, her eyes widened, and turning away from Deryn ducked towards the ground.

"Wait! That isn't how…!"

KABOOM. Then silence.

.:.

**A/N: And so, the end of a VERY short chapter. I'll try and make the next one longer! Stick around for the melodramatic conclusion! Please review!**


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